Back in the Saddle Again.....

After almost a year of not blogging, I decided that I should start again. I am finding that the kids are growing up so quickly, that I need to have a space to document their lives (and ours as well). I thought the new title was appropriate as it sometimes seems like our house is more of a jungle than an actual home. We are finding that parenthood is the biggest challenge that we have ever faced--I never imaged how rewarding, challenging and crazy it is! One can only do the best they can do (and sometimes that doesn't feel like enough. I hope this can be a forum to share our lives and express our thoughts and feelings.

End of the road

As you can tell, my postings have become far and few between. With Facebook, I can post pictures and updates fast and easy. The blog takes a significant amount of time for me and we have so few people who look at it. It has been fun posting items on here and I hope to someday print the postings in some sort of book form. So, with that being said, this is the last post on "A moment in the life of.." Thank you for your interest--please refer to our Facebook pages for updates. Take care.

So Proud - Drew's First Day of Kindergarten

In the five years that Aaron and I have been parents, we never have had one of those, "well, I guess we must be doing something right!" moments. I think like most parents, we never feel that we are doing as well as we could in being good parents to our children. But, Thursday morning was one of those moments. Drew did incredible on his first day of kindergarten! I kind of expected him to be just fine--he is just one of those kids who adjusts easily to new situations and meeting new people. I feel very lucky for that as I would have been a nervous wreck all day if he would have been upset when we left him. We started the day well--he got up at 7:30 a.m., ate breakfast (I made Pillsbury cinnamon rolls as a treat for the first day), got dressed (I laid out his clothes for the day, so we would not be scrambling to find his shoes or something else that was missplaced by one of the kids) and he was ready with his backpack by 8:15 a.m. We took a bunch of pictures and we waited eagerly for the school bus to arrive at 8:30 a.m. He got on the bus with the other kids and sat in his seat--there is a photo above of his facial expression as he realizes that he is riding the bus for the first time--it is a look of awe and slight nervousness--this is an expression that I have never seen on his face and it cracks me up! We met him at school when the bus arrived. He looked like he was already a pro at riding the bus! We took a few more pictures before he sat down in his new classroom. I think I was more nervous than he was. Luckily and a smart move on his new teacher's part, she had paper, crayons and scissors sitting on the tables and Drew (the little artist he is) just sat down and starting on his project. When the little boy next to him (who lives on our cul-de-sac) got upset when another kid took his seat next to Drew (and who was crying because he was so nervous about his parents leaving him)--Drew moved to another table so that they could both sit together. We said good-bye to Drew and he was just like, "okay, see you later Mommy and Daddy!" After that, some of the parents (and Claire--who would have stayed at school with the other kids if she would have been allowed to do so) met in the library for donuts and orange juice. Afterwards, Aaron (who took the day off from work), Claire and I went to First Watch for a celebratory brunch. When we got home, the house just seemed so quiet. In the prior days, I had been wishing for this day, as Drew was getting anxious and also a little naughty too, but with him gone, it just seemed really odd. While it will take a little time to get used to, I know I will get used to it and it will also give me a little one on one time with Claire--who is not used to receiving all of the attention. Drew's school schedule is odd--he is there all day on Tuesday and Thursday and then all day every other Friday. I wish that they had a more routine schedule--as he does better with being more consistent. But, we will learn to adjust. When he got home, he said the best part of his day was lunch (spoken like a true Mommy's boy!) It will be interesting to see what the year brings!

Happy Birthday to Claire!

I know I am a few weeks late with this entry. We celebrated Claire's birthday on two separate days. The first day, Saturday, July 25th, Grandma and Grandpa Randolph came to visit us and brought an adorable and delicious Minnie Mouse cake for Claire. We took the kids to get their pictures taken at JCPenney--which has been increasingly more difficult to do since they do not to sit still longer than a couple seconds. Needless to say, the photographer wasn't able to get very many shots--but there were a couple good ones that we were able to order. Then, it was off to Big Boy for lunch and a visit to COSI. COSI was extremely crowded--it was Saturday and rainy--which probably explained why so many people were there. After we got home, we had picnic style food and we enjoyed the yummy cake.

On Claire's actual b-day, July 30th, we headed to the Ohio State Fair. While the skies were overcast, it was the perfect day to go, as the crowds were fairly light and it wasn't too miserably hot. The kids enjoyed seeing all the farm animals (and talking to them too!), a few rides, including Monkey Mayhem and the Merry Go Round and eating ice cream. The unfortunate thing about the fair is how expensive the food is! $7.00 for a large turkey leg? $4.00 for a small drink? Crazy! We had only planned on being at the fair for a couple hours, but ended up spending the entire afternoon there. While I admit I am a bonifide suburban gal, going to the fair with the kids is a lot of fun. After the fair, Claire got her nap in and we went to Red Robin for dinner. While there, she got a visit from Red Robin himself and a special song from the waiting crew (plus a hot fudge sundae!). We then came home to open a few gifts and enjoy cupcakes that I bought at the Pink Moon bakery. The kids had a lot of sugar that day!

Happy Birthday Miss P!

Back in the saddle again!

We have had a few technical difficulties, which has prevented me from posting a blog recently. We are now back in full gear! Some updates and thoughts since the last blog posting.

1. Claire will be turning two in just a couple weeks. It just seems like yesterday that she was a baby and suddenly she is a kid! She completely understands what we are telling her--and she now often asks, "why?" She especially likes to pull that when she is doing something that she should not. Since she was a baby, she has always wanted to be part of the action, so when we ask Drew if he wants to do something, she will say, "me too!" Her vocabulary is expanding each and every day. She also enjoys making animal sounds and can roar and make monkey sounds (and scratches like one when she makes the sound). She now can go down the stairs standing up--which scares me--sometimes she agrees to hold our hands and other times she just gets mad and says, "no!" She has been a tough nugget in even the earliest part of my pregnancy with her and we don't expect that to change.

2. Drew--oh yes, Mr. Drew. He has a couple opportunities in the last month to hang out with his best preschool pal, Sam. We went to the Splash Pad near our house a few weeks ago--it is a mini water park area at one of the local parks (a great place to take the kids on a hot day and it is free!) and just yesterday, they got to visit each other at COSI's Farm Days. Each year, COSI has a week long event in which they bring in farming equipment and have activities relating to the farm. Drew had fun playing with Sam, milking a fake cow and riding on the mini John Deere tractors. Unfortunately, Drew and Sam will be attending different elementary schools in the fall, but I hope they will still get a chance to hang out with each other. Drew will be starting kindergarten at the end of next month. Given his outgoing personality, he should not have a problem making new friends. The kid can talk (no wonder Claire is picking so many new words up!) and he is very curious about the world around him. He is also dog crazy--he loves dogs. He is particularly fond of his relatively new stuffed animal named Chocolate Coconut (he bought it at Target with his birthday money). He also loves to pet any dog that he comes in contact with--he is always very good about asking the owner before he pets it.

3. My dad came to visit last week and the kids enjoyed spending time with him. Drew enjoyed drawing pictures with him, talking (of course) and watching WALL-E together. He delivered the beautiful framed picture of my grandma and my great aunt Marion when they were little girls. It was the one thing that my grandma specifically told my dad that I was to receive. Since I was a little girl, I always loved the picture and I am honored to have it in our house. But to be honest, I would rather that it was still in my grandparents house and that they were both still here with us.

4. I am excited that I have two Tastefully Simple party lined up for this month. I am crossing my fingers that I will be able to book a couple more parties at these parties. I need to momentum to keep moving along with the business. It has been a slow process, but I knew that going into it. The most exciting thing that I find is that people love the products and have fun at the parties--which is part of the reason I got into this in the first place!

5. We are very excited for our friends, Amy and Jim. They are getting married in Hawaii in September! Amy has been one of my best friends for a long time (and we have been through a lot together) and I am thrilled that she is so darn happy!

6. Finally, the world had to say good-bye to Michael Jackson. It was shocking to hear of his passing. I think he may have been one of the most misunderstood people in the world--even I was often perplexed by his actions. However, his music shaped my childhood and even when it was not cool to like his music, I still did. I listened to my Thriller record over and over again as a kid and I still know every word of each song by heart. I even had two posters of Michael Jackson hanging on my bedroom walls. My best friend from Oregon, Louanne and I would watch the "Making of Thriller" (they had it on laser disc, which was a precursor to the DVD) when I would sleep over at her house. His music is responsible for a lot of great memories when I was growing up. I was deeply moved by his memorial service and will always feel the void that is now left. While he will be discussed for months, if not years to come, I wish for him and his family some sort of peace.

Niagara Falls - And now for the falls

I have been terribly slow in our vacation blog entries. It has almost been a month since our visit to Niagara Falls--time has really flown by! The final entry has to be the falls! We visited the falls each day we were there--we could not get enough of them. There has to be something in the water that just makes one feel at ease. The crashing of the water almost sounds like waves crashing on oceanside beach. People from all over the world come to visit these magical falls. We felt like singing (well, more me than Aaron), "Its a Small World!" On our first night, we ate at the Canyon Creek restaurant, which was located inside the Fallsview Casino--it overlooked most of the falls and the food was excellent. Of course, just being able to enjoy a quiet, tasty meal with just the two of us was a very big treat. The restaurant is a Canadian chain restaurant--which I thought was pretty darn nice for such a term. We also went to see the Niagara Falls Legends and Daredevils IMAX film during our stay which shared a few stories about the different folklore and tales of a few people who braved going over the falls. After the film, you enter a Daredevil Gallery which displays several of the different contraptions people used to go over the falls (a few survived and a few do not). It would be interesting to actually to hear the tale from someone who actually did survive. It would definitely be one heck of a ride! To think something so beautiful can be so dangerous! Aaron and I agreed that our next visit would include the kids--as they would have so much fun seeing the falls and participating in all of the activities in the area. We missed the region almost immediately after we left. Luckily, it is only a short six hour drive from Columbus. Thank you Niagara Falls, Ontario for such a relaxing and fun visit!

Niagara Falls - Random Stops

When Aaron and I go on mini vacations together, we pack in as much sightseeing as possible. We do not like to sit around (which we probably should do, but we never do). I guess we do as much as possible because we have to take in as much as possible, since it would be nearly impossible to do so if we had the kids with us. The Niagara region has so much to offer and is so rich in history. On this visit, we really got to enjoy more of the area and see what it has to offer. One of the spots that we unexpectedly visited (but had been recommended by Kevin at the Kilpatrick Manor) was Brock's Monument. It is a monument (and the tomb) of Major General SIr Isaac Brock, who bravely battled and was killed in the line of duty in the War of 1812. The tomb is massive and quite impressive, along with the view from it. We also made a pit stop to Niagara on the Lake during our stay. We ate at the Old Angel Inn, the oldest tavern in North America. Aaron enjoyed the customary Fish and Chips--which also included a serving of peas and carrots. I enjoyed a more modern Roast Beef Au Jus sandwich. After we ate at the Old Angel Inn, we took a walk down to Lake Ontario and look at all of their quaint shops. We also could not resist a visit to one of their bakeries to sample of their goods. We made a quick visit to Port Dalhausie on Saturday to get a few pictures of Lake Ontario. Those crazy Canadians were wearing bikinis and swin trunks on the beach and it was barely 70 degrees outside. The beach wasn't as quaint and adorable as I would have hoped, but we got a few nice pictures. And of course, we could not resist two visits to the Fallsview Casino-we actually came out ahead the first night we were there and Aaron got lucky by winning $120.00 bucks! The second night was a big dud--we both lost. C'est la vie!